The Pokémon Company, in a brief statement released on January 25, announced it would be protecting its brand by looking into games potentially infringing on its intellectual property (IP).

The Pokémon Company said it had received “many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024,” and said it would investigate any IP-infringing game and “take appropriate measures to address any acts” that do so.

While not directly referencing any particular title, the allusion to a game released in January 2024 points to Pocketpair’s Palworld as the likely object of investigation, seeing as people are asking about it and making comparisons to it as “Pokémon With Guns.”

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Palworld has sold over 8 million copies in the six days since its release, bringing it into the limelight, and to the attention of many a monster-collection fan.

Worse still, Kotaku reported a mod shown off by Youtuber ToastedShoes replaced Palworld’s monsters with Pokémon, with Ash becoming the hero of a short demonstration video.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe previously refuted accusations of intellectual property theft, with Mizobe saying the game cleared legal reviews, according to a report from Automaton. He added, “We make our games very seriously, and we have absolutely no intention of infringing upon the intellectual property of other companies.”

It remains to be seen whether any action will be taken by The Pokémon Company against Palworld, though one thing is certain: talk of alleged controversies surrounding the development of Palworld are sure to rise again following this development.

The full statement is below:

“We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon. We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.”

– Rappler.com